Lois Weiner is a professor of education at New Jersey City University, where she heads the Urban Education and Teacher Unionism Policy Project.

Thanks to Anthony Cody for using his blog to encourage this essential conversation.

Sanders’ challenge has shown that many people, especially the young, want a radical break from the GOP and Democratic Party’s collusion with wealthy and powerful elites who insist there are no alternatives to policies that are sowing despair, bigotry, and violence.

What next? We teach in the country that is spearheading the global educational project that put profits over kids. Our actions have great international urgency.

We need a new political party, one that fights for progressive ideals and is controlled by those who vote for it. At the same time, an electoral vehicle is only as strong as the movements that support it. I see this as a challenge social movements and teachers unions globally are grappling with, and we need to learn from them.